South slams Turkey’s water project for TRNC

South slams Turkey’s water project for TRNC

The South has lashed out at the Turkish water project which brings water from the mainland to North Cyprus by underwater pipeline, on the eve of its inauguration.

South Cyprus’ Foreign Ministry has said that the water project was another method of exerting control over the TRNC which “aims to integrate” the North and to “augment Turkey’s influence and control over Cyprus.”

The ministry said that the pipeline is illegal under international law and yet another fait accompli of the “occupation regime”. It noted that connection of the pipeline and issues over managing the water comes at a particularly critical point in the Cyprus negotiations.

While it acknowledges the problem of water shortages on the island, the ministry maintains that the South has managed this through innovative water management policies.

It also said that the amount of water brought in by pipeline is not enough for the whole of the island and the ministry has no agreement with Turkey on the subject. “Only in a reunited country will it be possible to formulate and implement a holistic strategy for the development and handling of various issues including the one involving water, without foreign intervention, control or dependency,” the ministry said.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is scheduled to inaugurate the project on Saturday.